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This is my first post here and after much digging and frustration with this beast I need some help. I have zero real complaints about the pistol besides getting the guide rod/recoil spring reinstalled. I have not figured out a good way that doesn't involve multiple attempts and very questionable language. I am hear to see if anyone has any tips, tricks or has a replacement part that made life easier.

Not a RIA owner, but I came across a YouTube video by a Mr. Gene Velasquez (who might be with RIA?) on "Rock Island Armory 2011 10mm disassembly" in which Mr. Velasquez uses a simple hand-made tool.

Maybe your gun is the same or similar.

This video and others come up if you do a Google search on the italicized wording above.

Good luck!

Unfortunately it is not. Mine has a 2-piece and I can't seem to find a video besides another one from Rock Island about full disassembly. The guy , Shawn I think, basically says it's really tricky and even hard with the 10mm. Hopefully someone on here will have figured a better way!

Sometimes when we come across departures from JMB's original design, we come away with all the more respect for the original. Maybe not with year 1911 sights and pre-beavertail grip safeties, but very often with components such as guide rods.

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The easiest I've found is to put in the barrel and guide, then put the spring on the interior portion and feed it in the slide, then with slight downward pressure from my thumb to keep it fairly aligned install the 2nd part and thread it most of the way in. After that, slide onto frame, lock the slide back, and tighten the 2nd part to the assembly. Haven't had any issues.

That is the video I had seen. I will give them points for having factory complete tear down videos. My biggest problem is I do what you described and the spring will try to cock one way well outside the slide. It has been just a trial and error process for me to get it in as few tries as possible.

You just have to learn how to hold your mouth right and which side to partially stick out your tongue. LOL

If you barely start the external portion, then feed in the spring & internal portion, as you're compressing feed in more of the external and it won't kink/bind/flop on you so bad. You can hold the entire spring down with your hand like he shows, but then you can't tell if you've got the rod in straight to start the threads properly. I use my thumb so I can see what I'm doing and use slight pressure to keep it feeding straight into the threads. It may or may not help you to work with the slide on a solid surface instead of trying to hold it and do it all at the same time.

You just have to learn how to hold your mouth right and which side to partially stick out your tongue. LOL

If you barely start the external portion, then feed in the spring & internal portion, as you're compressing feed in more of the external and it won't kink/bind/flop on you so bad. You can hold the entire spring down with your hand like he shows, but then you can't tell if you've got the rod in straight to start the threads properly. I use my thumb so I can see what I'm doing and use slight pressure to keep it feeding straight into the threads. It may or may not help you to work with the slide on a solid surface instead of trying to hold it and do it all at the same time.

I see two of my problems now! I wasn't sticking my tongue out at all and I didn't feed the external portion through until I felt like I had the internal seated well. I am doing it on one of those soft pads with an exploded view on it so I put a good grip down. I will definitely try that with the external portion next time.

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